Pauls are whimsical on the surface, difficult underneath. Georges are quiet, contemplative and occasionally grumpy. Ringos are the comic relief. Dan Hamilton was a John. Passionate, kind and hopeful with just the right amount of wrong about him.
Dan, VP of USA Marketing Center of Excellence at Ocean Spray, died on Dec. 8—the same day as his hero John Lennon. And just like the late Beatle, Dan also went too young. He was 53 years old.
Humble to a fault, it often took some time for you to discover how bright, talented, and unbelievably cool Dan was. A trained journalist with a BA in jazz guitar and a master's in computer science, Dan spent his workdays championing and supporting great marketing and advertising. He had taste to spare—always knowing what the best idea was—but leaving plenty of space for others to catch up in their own time. Because he was kind.
Over his career, Dan had too many highlights to list. He worked with the good and the great for brands including Silk, SToK, Horizon, International Delight and Oikos. He made campaigns like Progress is Perfection (Silk) and Stronger Makes Everything Better (Oikos)—as well as Then on Skin Care (Olay), Old Spice, Crest, Charmin and other experiences spanning domestic and global roles during his days at Procter & Gamble.
Dan was a digital maverick at P&G, helping lead his team and mentor others in the earlier days of digital in particular on Olay, which became one of the more innovative brands in media during his tenure. And most recently at Ocean Spray, he led the inception of a new “All that Power” campaign, shepherding through our most recent holiday spot that celebrated the ubiquitous and beloved jiggly Cranberry Sauce in a chaotic expression of joy, which was recently named one of Ad Age’s 30 best spots of 2022.